All parties meet to end impasse over 2G scam

NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday called for a meeting of all major political parties in the Parliament tomorrow in the backdrop of deadlock in the Parliament on the 2G spectrum scam.

Pranab Mukherjee will reportedly hold a luncheon meeting with the leaders of political parties tomorrow.

“Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s demand for a JPC probe into 2G spectrum issue is ‘unacceptable’,” said Mukherjee.

“Why should the Prime Minister make a statement in Parliament. It is the privilege of the Minister to make a statement on the floor of the House. If Raja wants to make a statement, he can do so,” he added.

Further criticizing the BJP, Mukherjee said: “JPC demand is absolutely unacceptable. During their six year tenure, how many JPCs they had agreed to including on Tehelka (issue)?”

He further said Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is chaired by a member of the opposition party, would thoroughly study the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the issue.

“We are destroying all the institutions. How the system will function? They (BJP) are also running governments in different parts of the country. This is totally a sad affair,” said Mukherjee after the Parliament was adjourned for the fourth consecutive today.

Earlier today, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram dismissed an opposition demand for a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum scam, terming it as ‘meaningless’.

“Demand for JPC is completely meaningless. Let Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allow the House to run,” Chidambaram said.

He further said the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) will be referred to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, which has the representation of all parties.

“Let Public Accounts Committee (PAC) go into the matter. The CAG report will be discussed comprehensively in the PAC,” he added.

Meanwhile, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned till Tuesday as the opposition continued to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the scam.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha where BJP and AIADMK stalled proceedings demanding a JPC into the scam.

The 2G spectrum allocation has reportedly caused an alleged loss of Rs1.76 lakh crores to the Government, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has stated in a report.

The report is understood to have stated that former Information Technology and Communications Minister A Raja, who resigned over his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, had no apparent logical or valid reasons to ignore the advice of the Law and Finance Ministries while allocating telecom spectrum to several firms in 2007-08.

The report is likely to be tabled in Parliament within ten days. (ANI)